On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Dover for the Auto Trader EchoPark Automotive 400! The “Monster Mile” is a unique 1.0-mile concrete oval that is physically demanding, and drivers have to get up on the wheel. The only chance drivers will be able to take a breather is under caution, and they better hope it’s not them.

On Saturday, practice was cancelled due to rain. With no on track activity, I would urge you to focus on Dover track history and drivers form at intermediate tracks in 2025 (Dover Next Gen Speed Rankings, Dover Next Gen Average Finishes, 2025 Intermediate Track Total Speed Rankings).

Here’s Dover Qualifying Results/ Starting Lineup (Set by the formula due to rain).

Dover Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Denny Hamlin
Start 13th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Dover Outlook – Defending Dover winner, Denny Hamlin will be tough to beat as he vies for a “Monster Mile” repeat. Hamlin’s a 2-time winner and since 2018 minus his three misleading results, Hamlin has a 4.0 average finish. In the Next Gen, Hamlin has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating and his average finish is 3rd over the last two. Last year, Hamlin dominated the final Stage and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin had the best average running position (4.1), earned the best Driver Rating, led the most laps (136) and of course finished 1st. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Hamlin ranked among the best. In the race, Hamlin had a 4.9 average running position, earned the 5th best Driver Rating and then finished 5th overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and then 5th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Hamlin might’ve just had the best car but his race was anything but incident free and he finished 21st. In that race, Hamlin led 67 laps, won Stage #1 but then following the Stage #1 pit stops, he lost a wheel which dropped him all the way back to the mid 20’s. Hamlin battled back and was up to 4th on lap 240, but then Cody Ware spun in front of him and clipped the #11.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading = Dover Finish Projections, DraftKings Dover Scoring Projections, FanDuel Dover Scoring Projections, Dover Quick Rankings

2) Chase Elliott
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Dover Outlook – At Dover, look for 2-time winner Chase Elliott to be a contender. Elliott’s thrived at the “Monster Mile” and in the Next Gen, Elliott won the first race, he’s tied for the best average finish (5.7), he’s tied for the 2nd best Next Gen Speed Ranking and has the 4th best Driver Rating. Over his career at “The Monster Mile” minus an accident (2020 #2) and an engine failure (2019 #2), Elliott has a 4.7 average finish. Also for his career minus those two races, Elliott has a 85.7% top five finish rate and he’s had a result in the top 12 every race. Last year, Elliott started in 29th but that wasn’t a problem. The #9 was fast and Elliott finished 9th in Stage # 1, 5th in Stage #2 and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Elliott ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Elliott finished 11th but that race was early in his return from injury, so don’t read into it too much. In 2022 in closing time, Elliott hit the afterburners and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Elliott had a 4.1 average running position, led 71 laps and had the best Total Speed Ranking.
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $12,000

3) William Byron
Start 5th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Dover Outlook – William Byron has performed at an elite level at Dover and on Sunday, look for Byron to be a top five performer who’ll be a factor to win. In 3 of the last 5 Dover races, he’s finished 4th. In the two he didn’t, Byron’s afternoons weren’t incident free. In terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings over the last three, Byron ranks 7th. Last year, Byron was a contender to win but finished an asterisk mark 33rd. In the race, Byron started 3rd, finished 2nd in Stage #1, led 36 laps but then in Stage #2 while running in 2nd, he had major problems during a green flag pit stop around lap 190 which dropped him off the lead lap. Byron did rebound from that somewhat and climbed back into the teens but then during a restart on lap 318, he was collected in a multi-car wreck that led to his 33rd. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 7th but take note his speed over the segments were 3rd, 2nd, 16th and then 15th. In 2023, Byron had his best Dover performance. In the race, Byron won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led the most laps (193), had the best average running position (3.3), had the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 4th.
DraftKings $10,5000/ FanDuel $12,500